kpix 5 news at 7:00. have a good night. captioning s captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight with infections of covid exploding once again nationwide a stark new warning, a big surge could hit the u.s. if more people don't get vaccinated now. the worst is yet to come. the former head of the f.d.a. says cases of the dangerous delta variant may not peak until the fall, just as students head back to school. the new push from the white house to get young people vaccinated, with help from a pop-singing sensation. out of control: nearly 70 wildfires now raging across the west, more than a million acres torched, entire towns forced to evacuate and the new concerns, the severe shortage of jet fuel now making it harder to beat back the flames. first moments of horror.

breaking news, the desperate calls to 911 as that condo collapsed in surfside florida. >> yes, there's people inside. >> she's trapped in her apartment. >> o'donnell: inexcusable: the f.b.i. admits it failed more than 100 female athletes including olympians. how the bureau ignored warning signs about the top doctor for the u.s.a. gymnastics program. the scathing report out tonight. drug overdoses on the rise: the stunning increase in just one year. 11 americans dying every hour in 2020. the dangerous synthetic drug now being blamed for a staggering loss of life. sticker shock: soaring prices and empty lots, what is behind the nationwide shortage of cars. and, stealing the show. she's the youngest all-star m.v.p. and hitting home runs is in his genes. ♪ ♪

this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> o'donnell: good evening. to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us on a very busy wednesday night. there are several major stories as we come on the air tonight, including those wildfires that are burning out of control out west. and, we've got those dramatic calls to 911, in the moments after the condo collapsed in surfside florida. but we're going to begin with the dangerous surge of new covid cases and the very grim warning from the former head of the f.d.a. that things are only going to get worse. dr. scott gottlieb says that the rate that the highly contagious delta variant is now spreading, the u.s. could be heading for a new peak of infections as the school year is starting. new causes are up in nearly state, namely among people who are young and not vaccinated. while the white house says it is pulling out all the stops to convince people to get their shots, at the same time tonight, some states are pushing back, blocking health officials from promoting the vaccines.

cbs' jericka duncan will lead off reporting from tennessee, where the head of that state's vaccine program was just fired. good evening, jericka. >> reporter: good evening to you, norah. i spoke to the former medical director of the immunizations program tonight, here at the tennessee department of health. she called this environment where she used to work "toxic" and says she stands by her decision to advocate that more children be vaccinated. new data tonight shows the dangerous delta variant is continuing to spread at an alarming rate, presenting a serious risk to the unvaccinated. >> because, that is what we expected. that the peak of this epidemic would really be sometime around the end of september, back to school season. unfortunately the worst is yet to come. >> reporter: new cases in every state except arizona and south dakota are up at least 10%. in 32 states, they are up 50% or more. and now the focus is turning to young people, just a quarter of

the country 12-15 year olds are fully vaccinated, and as schools prepare to reopen, health officials worry cases could surge. >> i have a special guest with me today. >> reporter: today the white house hosted pop star olivia rodrigo, who encouraged young people to get vaccinated. and in tennessee where just 38 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated, there is vaccine controversy. >> i didn't make the law, i don't interpret the law.cine coy >> reporter: dr. michelle fiscus said she lost her job as tennessee's top vaccine official because she passed along information about the mature minor doctrine. this is out of a tennessee supreme court ruling that concluded that children ages 14 and older, if they felt that they were old enough and mature enough to make the decision, could consent for medical procedure without a parent bein, could consen present. >>or inrnal eedy "the tenneath health department also declined to order a stop to all county vaccine drives aimed at

children. >> all of this has become so hyper-politicized that we have lost the perspective of the 600,000 people who have died. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news the tennessee health department says it quote supports outreach efforts and is simply mindful of how certain tactics could hurt the progress they've made. norah? >> o'donnell: jericka duncan, thank you. and we're going to turn now to those western wildfires that have torched more than a million acres of land in a dozen states. the crisis is so severe that more than 16,000 firefighters and support personnel are battling nearly 70 wildfires. we get more now from cbs' lilia luciano. >> reporter: as fires continue to ravage the west... >> we need some prayers here. this is getting really serious. >> reporter: ...what is left behind is heartbreak. in the tiny town of doyle, near lake tahoe, at least 33

structures have been destroyed. just eight months ago, another fire in the same town took 21 homes. at struck dle tee this week wasl fire, tonight, ts dramatic video caught by a homeowner is wall of flames approached. the fire just missed his home. damage is extensive throughout the west. and is taking a toll on firefighters. >> it really doesn't ever end. >> reporter: zachary resnick says his hot shot unit used to at least get a break from thanksgiving to spring, now thy're on duty year round. >> what concerns you the most about fires right now? >> reporter: the fires are outpacing the resources, period. and it is just a snowballing august or septemyet so w sno are we going to do when we are stretched so thin? and a new concern tonight, u.s. fire officials reporting a shortage of jet fuel. if it persists, that could ground some of the large planes used to drop retardant on fires

when they are needed most. as for those on the front lines. >> it's go, go, go, go, go. get this thing out and get everybody moving to the next one. >> reporter: we're seeing firefighters move inward from the fire line that you see over here. in some cases as you can see, they are pumping water from this pond to put out any possible hot spots that could send flying embers to start new fires in dry brush like this. norah. >> o'donnell: lilia luciano, thank you. and for the first time tonight we are hearing the desperate calls to 911 made in the harrowing moments after that condo building collapsed in surfside florida. we want to warn you, what you are about to hear is heartbreaking. here's cbs' manuel bojorquez. >> reporter: the 911 calls started pouring in after 1:15 the morning of the collapse. each one more urgent than the last, as the scope of the disaster unfolded before people's eyes. >> reporter: some of the callers were survivors trying to make

their way out and trying to help neighbors along the way. >> reporter: in one call a woman indicates where the first signs of trouble were spotted. the pool deck above the underground garage which is now a part of the investigation into the collapse. >> reporter: now at the collapse site the search for victims continues. tomorrow will mark three weeks since the building came down. manuel bojorquez, cbs news, miami. >> o'donnell: and there is a scathing report out tonight that blames the f.b.i. for multiplehg failures to investigate and stop larry nassar, the former u.s.a. gymnastics doctor, who sexually abused female athletes for years.

dozens of additional victims were assaulted while the f.b.i. dragged its feet. cbs' dr. jon lapook has more on this. >> i was molested. >> reporter: it was a damning indictment of the country's top law enforcement agency. >> they were just kids. >> reporter: in the worst sexual abuse scandal in the history of sports. the 109 page report released today, by the department of justice's inspector general, found the f.b.i. failed to respond to sexual assault allegations against larry nassar, the disgraced former doctor for u.s.a. gymnastics with the urgency the allegations required. the f.b.i. learned of the accusations at the end of july 2015 but did not open an investigation in michigan where much of the abuse occurred and where nassar was still working at michigan state university until october 2016. >> had they done that job, over a hundred women at michigan state wouldn't have had to suffer what they had to suffer. >> reporter: the report also concluded that indianapolis f.b.i. agent, jay abbott violated fbi policy when he

communicated with former u.s.a. gymnastics president steve penny about a potential job opportunity with the u.s. olympic committee while continuing to discuss the nassar allegations.tt these latest revelations came as the current women's gymnastic team is traveling to japan for the olympic games. the 2021 u.s. team includes olympic gold medalist simone biles who is one of the athletes abused by nassar. >> he literally had one job and he couldn't protect us. >> reporter: i just spoke with three elite athletes who are among the many women abused by nassar and they are still furious. they say they still don't know enough details about who new what, when did they knew it and what they did or did not do did about it, until there is accountability, they say, this kind of horrific abuse can happen again. >> o'donnell: dr. jon lapook who has been covering this story from the beginning. thank you dr. lapook. and, president biden went to the capitol today for a high stakes meeting with senate democrats. the president needs all 50 to support his record three and a

half trillion dollar spending plan for what he calls, human infrastructure. cbs' kris van cleave reports from the capitol. >> reporter: tonight president biden rallying democrats to back trillions in new spending. >> we're going to get this done. >> reporter: mr. biden received a warm welcome but there is no guarantee the 3.5 trillion budget package will be embracede by all 50 democrats. it aims to expand medicare, provide a path to citizenship, address climate change and promises tax cuts for most americans. with no republican support, democrats can not afford to lose a single vote. >> we know the road ahead is going to be long. there are bumps along the way. >> reporter: how significant is this legislation? >> this is enormously significant. >> reporter: budget chairman bernie sanders. >> i think there is a lot of angst out there. people look to government, they say richer get richer, they get tax breaks, does anybody care about working families? this bill is focused on the needs of working families. >> reporter: but can it get 50 democrat votes. >> i believe it can. >> reporter: with concerns

mounting about inflation the fed chief saying it will increase notably in the coming months, republicans argue the bill will make it worse. >> to me that 3.5 trillion dollars that was announced last night really is the extreme democrats freight train to socialism. >> reporter: and negotiations continue on that 1 trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill it is seen as a crucial step to passing that separate and larger 3.5 trillion dollar budget bill and a lot could still change which is why in a 50/50 senate, people here on ths hill keep telling us nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. norah? >> o'donnell: kris van cleave, thank you. and there's breaking news from los angeles, britney spears broke down in tears at a hearing today over control of her life and fortune. the pop star who turned 40 this year, sobbed over the phone accusing her father of being abuse. abusive. adding that she intends to press

charges against him. much of her life has been controlled in recent years by her father and a professional conservator. spears was granted permission to hire her own attorney. that is a big change. okay, a new report tonight shows in stark detail how the covid pandemic has made america's drug crisis far worse. overdose deaths soared 29% last year to a record high. we get more from cbs' jeff pegues. >> reporter: traffickers are moving fentanyl and meth in unprecedented amount along the southern border. >> the amounts are getting larger and larger. >> reporter: hard drugs on america's streets are part of the reason overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 in 2020, mostly driven by fentanyl. there were on average 250 deaths each day, roughly 11 every hour. experts say the pandemic helped drive up the death toll. >> people are having less access to treatments, and more time spent using substances and it's lead to a really lethal combination.

>> reporter: michael biello was a personal trainer who previously had addiction issues. >> our children are dying and no one is helping us it is frustrating. we're weary, we're tired. >> reporter: biello's mother says things changed when the gyt where her son worked closed last year, cutting him off from friends. she found him at home, unresponsive and says fentanyl was in his system. >> reporter: how would you describe the pain of losing someone like your son and the way he died? >> seeing him in the way that we saw him that morning, will forever be embedded in my head. and i will never be the same. and so i will be his voice for the rest of my life. >> reporter: today, a group of former senior government officials signed a letter to president biden calling on the administration to formally designate fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. norah. >> o'donnell: that just gave me the chills, jeff pegues, thank you. we're also following a disturbing story out of los

angeles tonight. officers arrested a man who was trying to enter the parking garage of a federal building. the officers say he had a gun and was wearing body armor, when they checked his vehicle they found multiple loaded fire arms and knives, and he was taken into custody. all right, tonight car buyers and dealers are scrambling from coast to coast. a limited supply of sedans and s.u.v.'s is driving prices sky high and cars are flying off the lots. here's cbs' anna warner. >> reporter: the lot looks full at this ford dealership in walnut creek, california, but general manager cameron savarani said most of these cars are used. just a handful are new. your stock of new cars is not going to fill this lot, is it. >> correct.ock of new cars it is not. >> reporter: which is amazing. >> it is. definitely something we haven't seen before. >> reporter: inventories are depleted and demand outpaced supply in the second quarter this year. the primary cause? shortages of microchips, batteries and steel. so manufacturers are making fewer cars, through may this

year, ford's output dropped by 325,000 cars. gm's went down 278,000. and stellantis, formerly chrysler dipped 256,000, everything selling fast, and buyers are paying more, average car prices spiked more than $2,000, up over 7% from a year pa ago. s.u.v.'s cost roughly $3,800 more, up nearly 10%. >> dealers are not making thelyp deals they used to make. >> reporter: industry analyst todd turner. >> they are becoming orderrs ark takers. customers are going in, waiting for whatever car shows up and rushing in to get it before someone else does. for whatever car shows up and rushing in to get >> a lot of them are basically pre-selling where customers are putting deposits on them before they even get here. >> reporter: were you surprised? >> yeah, i was because we're thinking we'll just make this now. >> reporter: are you thinking i will just buy this one, right, and they said what, no? >> no, this is the only one they have on the lot and there are 50 people that want to buy the car already. >> reporter: when will the

shortage ease? analysts expect car buying to return to normal at the end of this year, possibly early next year, as more chips are produced and auto manufacturers can replenish their inventories, but whether prices will drop remains to be seen, norah.ir >> o'donnell: anna warner, thank you. there is still much more news ahead on tonight's cbs news including why an n.f.l. star was arrested overnight. plus notes left in public restrooms led to a shocking arrest. overnight. plus a shocking arrest.

like you, my hands are everything to me. but i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture. and it got to the point where things i took for granted got tougher to do. thought surgery was my only option.

turns out i was wrong. so when a hand specialist told me about nonsurgical treatments, it was a total game changer. like you, my hands have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today. >> o'donnell: tonight, n.f.l. star, richard sherman has been charged with burglary, domestic violence, sherman was arrested early this morning outside seattle with the help of a canine unit after allegedly trying to force his way into the home of his in-laws. sherman, a former all-pro defensive back has been honored in the past for his community service. all right, tonight a pennsylvania woman is free after more than two months in captivity. listen this story: police say she lead them to her captor by leaving notes in public rest rooms. the first note revealing an address was left in a wal-mart bathroom. just last week, days later, another note was found at a museum. police executed a search warrant and rescued the woman. the suspect, corey brewer, is

charged with sexual assault, strangulation and unlawful restraint. all right, coming up next, like father, like son. the makings of a baseball dynasty. ke son. the mackings of a baseball dynasty.

>> o'donnell: it only happens once a year, the very best in baseball play on the same field. one player stole the show tuesday night, and you might say he was born for the moment. >> goodbye! >> o'donnell: vladimir guerrero, jr.'s home run blast in the all- star game came off his bat at 110 miles per hour. the 468 foot rocket was one oft0 the longest in the game's history. >> wow. >> your mvp. >> o'donnell: at 22 the toronto blue jays slugger became the youngest player to take home mvp honors. junior started his career as a bat boy for his father, vladimir guerrero sr., who also hit ais homerun in the 2006 all-star game. one of nine that he played in during his hall of fame career. the guerrero's are just the third father and son combo to homer in an all-star game, joining barry and bobby bonds and ken griffey, jr. and senior.

>> that perfect swing. >> reporter: guerrero's two r.b.i.s powered the american league to a 5-2 win. and we'll be right back. ht back.

>> o'donnell: tomorrow, we've got a story about the alarming surge in cases in a respiratory illness that largely vanished during the pandemic, a warning for parents about r.s.v.. and, if you can't watch live set your d.v.r. to watch us later. that is tonight's edition of "the cbs evening news," i'm norah o'donnell. see you back here tomorrow,

good night. right now at 7:00. >> had to get out oaf there. >> a grim flashback in butte county where a new wildfire is triggering new evacuations near the same communities destroyed many the camp fire. >> we're tracking the smoke from those fires and cooler temperatures. the search for a runner in alameda county is entering its fifth night, the promising tip that ended up leading nowhere. and the a's making it clear city of oakland is down to its final at-bat. >> it's howard terminal or brus. but if that doesn't work out, we need to find another place, another home. >> it would be a knife in the heart if we lost the a's. this is our last team, so we

have to do something to keep them. right now on the kpix 5 news at 7:00 and streaming on cbsn bay area, a new wildfire erupts in butte county, but could the area's tragic past offer at least some protection. good evening, i'm elizabeth cook. >> and i'm ken bastida. the dixie fire has exploded across at least 1,200 acres since it broke out yesterday. it's 0% contained tonight. it's actually burning within the scar of the 2018 devastating camp fire. >> reporting renee santos is there this evening. >> reporter: burned trees scattered throughout butte county are a reminder of the devastating camp fire that reduced vegetation we're learning will help with preventing the new dixie fire from spreading further. >> the fire's moving, progressing on both ends up ahead. >> reporter: the dixie fire exploding in butte county, flames smoldering trees, blanketing the sky with heavy

smoke, burning close